Dodgers Trade Howie Kendrick to Phillies for Darin Ruf, Darnell Sweeney
It was reported that the Los Angeles Dodgers were 'exploring' a deal involving Howie Kendrick earlier in the week and that deal was found.
The Dodgers traded Kendrick to the Philadelphia Phillies in exchange for first baseman/outfielder Darin Ruf and infielder/outfielder Darnell Sweeney.
Sweeney was drafted by the Dodgers in the 13th round of the 2012 MLB Draft and was traded to the Phillies in the deal that brought Chase Utley to Los Angeles. He played in 37 games for Philadelphia in 2015, slashing .176/.286/.353 with three home runs and 11 RBI. The 25-year-old spent the entire 2016 season in Triple-A and hit .272 with a .767 OPS, 17 doubles, six home runs and 35 RBI.
Ruf is a fifth-year player that played in 43 games for the Phillies this season. He slashed .205/.236/.337 with three home runs and nine RBI. Ruf is a career .240 hitter and has hit as many as 14 home runs in one season. The 30-year-old is a career .299/.379/.542 hitter against left-handers, which was a Dodgers' weakness in 2016.
As for Kendrick, it was reported that he was frustrated with his role although he had 487 at-bats in 2016. He did start in just three off 11 playoff games. The veteran infielder-turned-outfielder hit a career-low .255 last season but his numbers were a bit skewed as he worked his way back from injury to start the year. He has one year left on his deal and Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reports that Kendrick is expected to be the team's left fielder:
Howie Kendrick is expected to be the Phillies' everyday left fielder in 2017.
— Todd Zolecki (@ToddZolecki) November 11, 2016
This is the Dodgers second trade of the offseason after they sent Carlos Ruiz to the Seattle Mariners for Vidal Nuño.
